This invention relates generally to a storage and dispensing system and, more particularly, to a portable, self-contained system which stores and dispenses liquid product, such as liquid animal feed ingredients.
This invention has particular (albeit not exclusive) application to the liquid animal feed industry. For users of relatively small quantities of liquid animal ingredients, the conventional practice has been to supply product in drums (e.g., 55 gal. drums) or somewhat larger metal containers delivered to the customer's site. After these containers have been emptied, they are retrieved by the supplier or disposed of by the customer and replaced by full containers. This process is costly and inefficient. Moreover, container disposal raises environmental concerns. Further, such containers are not equipped with a secondary containment structure to contain any liquid which may spill or leak from the container. For these reasons, some users of small quantities of animal feed ingredients prefer using dry feed ingredients over liquid ingredients.
For users requiring larger volumes of liquid animal feed ingredients, the supplier often constructs a permanent storage and dispensing facility at the customer's site. However, this process is very expensive, and after the facility is built it cannot easily be moved or removed.
Also, in prior systems, the amount of liquid feed in inventory at any given time and its temperature are difficult to accurately monitor. This can result in excessive inventory on hand, or shortages of product at critical times.